Where have you been all your life?

"Tristan" (casselts) 05/16/2019 at 13:25 • Filed to: None

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I’m planning to cross off Wyoming and Montana this summer. Hawaii, Alaska, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts are high on the list, but who knows when I’ll get there.

My world map is looking pretty pitiful, though. I need to work on that.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

smobgirl > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 13:38

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I have everything in the non-territorial  US except Alaska. Outside of the US is weak but my passport arrives next week...

user314 > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 13:38

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My world map isn’t really even worth posting:

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 13:43

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I’m only missing Alaska and North Dakota. It helped my dad was a truck driver when I was a kid (went with him during the summers). My world is depressing, though. Only Canada, Mexico, UAE, and Germany if you count a layover. I’m adding a few Asian countries in a week and a half though!

Snuze: Needs another Swede > smobgirl 05/16/2019 at 13:44

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Where’s the first country you’re going?

BeaterGT > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 13:45

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This is awesome, thanks!   

M.T. Blake > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 13:48

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I’ll be in Hawaii soon so I’ll cross it off your list for you :P

Hawaii is hard one, you’ll need to visit all the major four islands for it to count. If you want to get extra points you’ll need two more. If you want to get full points you’ll need to trespass to get to the final two. After that you’ll have to defeat the demi-god Maui to return home . Good luck!

lone_liberal > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 13:49

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Not all that many places if you don’t count just catching a connecting flight:

There is a dot colored blue in the middle of the Indian Ocean but it’s too small to see when zoomed out. That would be Diego Garcia BIOT.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 13:50

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So far...

I probably have a couple of incidental pass-through states left out.

Not too shabby on the world front, I suppose, but not like some.

Darkbrador > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 13:53

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I kinda suck too.

There is one that I’m proud of, though ... enhance !

Tourist Trophy ! 

Tristan > M.T. Blake 05/16/2019 at 13:53

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Hmmm... Well, I’ve watched Moana about a thousand times with my daughter, so I think I’m pretty much an expert on Hawaii at this point.

smobgirl > Snuze: Needs another Swede 05/16/2019 at 13:53

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Well, Canada by air rather than by car. Once I’m back from the Montreal Grand Prix I’m going to come up with the next trip. 

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 13:55

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Tristan > Darkbrador 05/16/2019 at 13:56

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Nice! Mine’s got Qatar and Belize - they’re  pretty hard to make out, but they’re a couple of my favorites.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 13:58

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if you just drive through do you coun t it or do you have to stay there at least one night?

facw > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 13:58

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A few of those states I wasn’t old enough to remember though, and Colorado and Portugal I’ve only been in airports, which probably shouldn’t count.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 13:58

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Still a few places I want to see...

RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 13:59

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Not really a big fan of travel ... I ended up in a lot of places because of work.

Sovande > M.T. Blake 05/16/2019 at 13:59

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I know the woman who owns a good portion of Molokai (in the neighborhood of 14,00 0 acres, I think) if you want me to make a call!

Tristan > lone_liberal 05/16/2019 at 13:59

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Diego Garcia was on my wish list of places to see when I was active duty Air Force . About half my coworkers had been, but I never made it.

Tristan > OPPOsaurus WRX 05/16/2019 at 14:01

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I count driving through, because any time I drive through a new state I stop to look around and try to see the major highlights.

Svend > lone_liberal 05/16/2019 at 14:02

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DG, your military or ex-military then? 

Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 14:02

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States I have spent time in (more than 24 hours) :

California

Washington

Nevada

Arizona

Ohio

Tennessee

Virginia

New York

Michigan

Minnesota

Texas

Hawaii

Idaho

Georgia

South Carolina

North Carolina

Maryland

States I have set foot in (not counting airports) :

Oregon

Montana

Utah

Pennsylvania

Wyoming

Colorado

Nebraska

Iowa

Illinois

Indiana

Delaware

BahamaTodd > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 14:03

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Includes several small Caribbean countries that you can’t see zoomed out this far.

There are a few places where I made a flight connection but I’m not counting those since I never left the airport.

lone_liberal > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 14:04

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We used to joke that it would have been a great place to visit but it was a shitty place to live. It had the white sand beaches and palm trees but the isolation, especially in the pre-internet days, and lack of fresh food sucked. It didn’t help that the whole island was a military base so you couldn’t get away. There was a lot of drinking on that island even compared to other Navy bases. 

lone_liberal > Svend 05/16/2019 at 14:05

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U.S. Navy.

just-a-scratch > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 14:05

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It looks like I have a lot of areas yet to cover. I’m not counting stopovers on flights.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 14:05

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this is mine

Ive never been out of the country, but thatll change in september when we go to toronto and niagra falls

Svend > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 14:09

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England (live),

Northern Ireland (lived), Coomber,

Scotland (lived), Dumfries,

Wales,

Holland (lived), Veghel,

Germany,

Luxembourg,

Spain,

Italy,

Poland,

Czechia,

Belgium,

Cyprus (lived), Pathos, Akrotiri, Larnaca and Nicosia,

Egypt,

Bahrain and

Saudi Arabia (lived), Medina, Riyadh and Dhahran.

E90M3 > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 14:12

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Mine just looks like a lot because I’ve been to Russia. 

Tristan > lone_liberal 05/16/2019 at 14:14

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Yeah, 10/10 would not want to be stationed there. I spent a week in the Azores with no work to do, so I just wandered around. I lha Terceica is bigger than DG, but I still felt claustrophobic after a few days.  

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 14:18

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Oh look, I’ve been to the Midwest.

( I haven’t been to Nevada, not sure how that box got checked)

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Darkbrador 05/16/2019 at 14:20

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IOM is second only to the Caymans as a haven for  money laundering. Hmmmm 

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) 05/16/2019 at 14:21

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And Central Europe

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 14:23

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Sunday I’ll be adding California to my list as I’m flying to San Diego for work.

Worldwide I’m doing okay. This year w e’ll probably go back to Germany to visit my sister for a bit and then I want to hit another country in Europe. My wife has never been to Italy so that’s a possibility, but I’m also considering Greece or Czechia. 

vicali > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 14:24

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Locals only..

Darkbrador > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 05/16/2019 at 14:26

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IOM is second to the Caymans for the weather, and the quality of the beaches, too. 

MattHurting > lone_liberal 05/16/2019 at 14:27

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I work on an Air Force contract and we support a telescope on Diego. Small world.

BeaterGT > smobgirl 05/16/2019 at 14:27

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Have fun! Can’t wait to do another Montreal GP trip.

WilliamsSW > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 14:28

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Still missing 4 states and a LOT of countries.  I’ve at least hit 4 continents (UAE in Asia)

MattHurting > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 05/16/2019 at 14:28

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Just having some pizza, learning about Cuba.

f86sabre > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 14:29

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All but 3 states, most of Western Europe, South Africa, most of the Caribbean and several spots in central and South America as well as several Asian countries. I would have never have dreamed as a kid  that I would have had the opportunity to see as much of the world as I have.

just-a-scratch > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 14:29

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I’ll just share this quote again, because I like it a lot. It still feels very applicable.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”

 Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad / Roughing It

Snuze: Needs another Swede > smobgirl 05/16/2019 at 14:30

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Oh nice. I’ve never driv en all the way into Canada, though I’ve driven in Canada. I basically lived in Halifax for about 6 months, but always flew in/out .

Any ideas for your trip? Europe? Asia? S omewhere warm and tropical, somewhere with snow, or something in between ?

My sister and her husband live in Germany so we end up going to E urope a lot. First year we stayed in Germany the whole time, next year we did a few days in Germany and then a few in Hungary. Last year the 4 of us met up in Thailand. I think this year is back to Germany and then I’m thinking Italy, Greece, or Czechia. 

lone_liberal > MattHurting 05/16/2019 at 14:31

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Smaller island. There was some kind of Air Force installation just down from where I worked at the south end of the island (the transmitter facility) but all we knew about it was that it was “spook shit”. But this was back in 1987 so I’m sure everything has changed. 

TheRealBicycleBuck > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 14:37

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Not too shabby.

MattHurting > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 14:37

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Got Iceland on here (lived there as a kid) and hard to see, but the Bahamas are great for fishing.

smobgirl > Snuze: Needs another Swede 05/16/2019 at 14:38

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I’m really not sure. I want to go everywhere but I usually travel alone so I may start with one of the REI organized trips until I’m more experienced outside of the US. I tried an extended weekend in Puerto Rico when I was there for work and pretty much nothing went as planned (I was supposed to camp, the place decided to close early and wouldn’t let me in, then I got horribly lost, had some food ordering nightmares, you name it) . I eventually just caved and ended up at a resort drinking cocktails on the beach, which was fine enough but not the intent of the trip!

ttyymmnn > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 14:41

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38. Not too shabby. Rest of the world, not so good.

Canada doesn’t really count, though I have toured a fair bit of the western provinces. Otherwise, it’s Germany, France, and Denmark. Oh, and I did spend a day in Mexico after walking across the border from AZ.

ttyymmnn > Darkbrador 05/16/2019 at 14:46

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I like watching the TT every year. Coverage isn’t great, but it’s enough to see those maniacs tearing around the island. I did, however, see a Dassault Falcon 7X registered to the Isle of Man over the F1 weekend in Austin back in 2014.

Tristan > Snuze: Needs another Swede 05/16/2019 at 14:48

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I went to Rome with the family 2 Thanksgivings ago. 29/10 would recommend. I also spent a few days in Crete. My sightseeing time was scant, but it was still a good time.

Tristan > just-a-scratch 05/16/2019 at 14:52

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I love it.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 14:53

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Man, I still have so many places I need to visit. 

Tristan > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 05/16/2019 at 14:58

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I’m jealous of your African travels, though!

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 15:04

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I’ve been to Rome twice, once in the summer of 2001, and right before Christmas in 2010. The second trip was great, it snowed! It was the first time it had snowed there since like the 70's or something. We were on a tour of the Colosseium when the white stuff started coming down, and our tour guide started FREAKING OUT. He was like I need to call my boss, we might end the tour early, etc. As we walked around we just heard car horns, tires skidding, and car crashes CONSTANTLY for the rest of the day . It was insane!

Crete would be fun to check out.  My sister went to Malta recently and loved it.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 15:07

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Born and raised South African, it was pretty much family road trips. 

ateamfan42 > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 15:09

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Guess which is the only language I speak:

Tristan > Snuze: Needs another Swede 05/16/2019 at 15:12

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I can only imagine... the stereotypes about Italian drivers were completely confirmed while I was there, so it would be terrifying to add snow!

Thomas Donohue > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 15:20

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Didn’t add the places I went to when I was little (under 5 and don’t really remember) or anyplace that I didn’t stay overnight.

I feel like Canada should be divided by provinces, even on the international map. I’ve been to Nova Scotia, Quebec, Montreal and Victoria.

Clearly I need a road trip from Green Bay to Portland, Oregon.

Tristan > Thomas Donohue 05/16/2019 at 15:23

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Funny you should mention that trip- My summer vacation this year is a road trip from Portland to the Wisconsin Dells!

dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 15:29

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I have been to exactly 25 states, but no other countries 

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 15:33

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My international one is pretty lame, just the US, UK, Italy, Mexico and a few Caribbean islands

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 15:45

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Hey! Pop on down to Milwaukee while your here!

Darkbrador > ttyymmnn 05/16/2019 at 15:57

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It’s even better in real life ... these guys are nuts.

The atmosphere on the island is bonkers too, the ferries spit hords of motorcyclists coming from all over Europe, non stop ... No drama though, as far as I remember, it’s a loud, rough, but somehow well-mannered crowd. I recall being in a pub at night, clumsily spilling 3 or 4 guys beers that were on a little shelf, by accident, expecting some scuffle but instead these blokes laughed and paid me & my friends a new round !

Never know who you’ll run into, for me that was Phil Read in a tea shop, it happened that my helmet that was a replica of his famous racing helmet .

Then you have (had ?) the Sunday, when the “ circuit” is open to anyone, guys who have been soaked in alcohol and dreams of speed all week get on their crotch rocket and pretend to know what they’re doing ... it’s awful.

If you have the opportunity to jump/hide in that 7X and fly to the IOM, do it ! 

punkgoose17 > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 15:58

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There is so much more traveling I want to do. Also, I need to leave this country. I have a dollar in my pocket; i f I can I’ll buy a lotto ticket.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 16:00

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I have missed quite a bit of the middle of the country. And I am not counting airport stops since otherwise I could add in Missouri, Colorado, and Maine. Will be adding Colorado next weekend though! Doubt I will ever add Kansas, Nebraska, or Iowa unless I get roped into a cross country drive via the boring route.

Havent been to nearly enough countries but I am working on it for sure now that I have a real job with a paycheck and vacation time.

ttyymmnn > Darkbrador 05/16/2019 at 16:01

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Sounds like a hell of a time!

punkgoose17 > ateamfan42 05/16/2019 at 16:03

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Canadamerican?

Thomas Donohue > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 16:07

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I’ve thought about taking the Empire Builder train from Chicago to Seattle, I’ve heard it’s awesome.

I’m also in Salt Lake once or twice a year, I’ve toyed with the idea of getting a good Turo car and doing a loop North through Yellowstone, Montana and then back down through Idaho.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > smobgirl 05/16/2019 at 16:34

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My first trip to Italy was with an organized group, ASIC or something like that, but I think their trips are geared towards students as I went as part of my high school Latin club. But an organized trip can be good. I have a coworker who’s done several REI trips and loves it. My aunt does a lot of group travel, but not with REI, but she also generally enjoys it.  

Another option to consider might be something like a Rhine river cruise - you’ve got the boat as kind of a central hub, the crew on there is going to speak english so it’s not like being dropped in the middle of a country where you don’t speak the langauge and nobody speaks yours. And you get to preview a few different countries which may inspire you to go back to one of them for a longer trip.

Also, my experience is that the world is pretty easy to get around these days, especially if you can get cell service or wi-fi for Google translate. Of course it’s easier if you’re in larger cities.  We went to some boonies in Thailand and I was very glad we had a guide.  

ateamfan42 > punkgoose17 05/16/2019 at 16:41

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Canadamerican?

Hey, there are 2 other (English speaking) countries highlighted on that map.....

CanA ssuieUK merican?

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 17:03

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It was about a s bad as you could imagine. Being from western Maryland and used to snow, it was kind of funny to me, other than I didn’t want anyone to get hurt/killed.

Last year I spent in   Thailand. I think we were in Phuket at the time, but we also went to Chiang Mai, spent a day in Bangkok, and even went to a border town on Loas for a bit . The year before that we were in Budapest, Hungary after spending a few days at my sister’s place in Stuttgart, Germany.

I can highly recommend all 3 places, Stuttgart being especially great if you’re into cars since it’s home to Porsche and Mercedes. Thailand is also awesome, it’s really cheap, and probably would have been about 1000x more fun (and more trouble) if I was single. But it was still great.  Budapest was also amazing, great food, interesting people, an a lot of history.  

Tristan > Snuze: Needs another Swede 05/16/2019 at 18:14

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Thailand sounds awesome- I’ve never heard a bad thing from anyone who’s visited. I’ve always wanted to do Germany since that’s where my family’s name came from and a huge chunk of my ancestry can be traced back to there. My wife and I are currently saving up for the possibility of visiting Israel next year, though, so Germany is still a ways off.

Tristan > Thomas Donohue 05/16/2019 at 18:17

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Do it! My dad has taken the Empire Builder from Minnesota a couple of times. He’s getting old and doesn’t want to drive that far any more, and he HATES flying. He loves sitting in the observation car and seeing the landscape.

Part of my summer road trip will be staying in Yellowstone for a couple of nights on the way back west . I’m excited!

ranwhenparked > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 19:52

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I have really missed out on a lot. Would like to get out to one of the two Freak States sometime, maybe Alaska first.

shop-teacher > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 23:04

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I've been to shockingly few places, and have never left the US. In fact I was denied a passport 13 years ago, despite having no criminal record.

Tristan > shop-teacher 05/16/2019 at 23:25

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Weird... Did they give a reason?!

shop-teacher > Tristan 05/17/2019 at 07:35

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Yeah, I got a letter about a month after I applied saying that I had been randomly selected to provide more information. Enclosed with that letter was a packet of forms that more or less asked me for my life story from birth to that day. They wanted the address of every place I had ever lived, every school I had ever attended, every place I had ever worked and the name of my supervisor there, copies of 3 current IDs, copies of 5 expired IDs (who the fuck has 5 expired IDs laying around?), Etc, etc, etc.

The thing is, the forms were so badly xeroxed, like they were a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy, that I thought it was a scam. Had that information fallen into the wrong hands, I’d be completely screwed. I’d never get my ID back. I almost called the cops, but decided to just throw the packet out.

Two months later I got a second letter from the State Department telling me that they had asked for more information, but I hadn’t provided it. They sent me my photo back and invited me to try applying again in the future.

I'm scared that I'm flagged on some sort of list now.

M.T. Blake > Sovande 05/17/2019 at 12:32

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Make the call!!!

Transit > Tristan 05/17/2019 at 12:43

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Do Wizard Quest!

Tristan > Transit 05/17/2019 at 14:07

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What’s a wizard quest?

Tristan > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 05/17/2019 at 14:10

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I’ll only be in the Dells for about a day and a half. My wife’s side has a summer house there and she’ll be there for a month- I’m swinging by to pick her and my kids up and heading back to Minnesota to spend some time with my dad on the family farm. I love the Dells, but I never stay long because I can’t wait to get back home when I’m that close!

Tristan > shop-teacher 05/17/2019 at 14:13

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Yowzers... That sounds more like a background investigation for a security clearance than a passport application process. I probably would have reacted similarly.

shop-teacher > Tristan 05/17/2019 at 15:10

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Yeah, I’ve been a character witness for a couple of friends who got Top Security clearance. One of whom I called when I got that stuff, and he said the same thing. He also was positive that it was a scam, because the packet was stapled together and, “The Federal Government does not use staples.”

I dunno, he’s a Major in the Army now.  Maybe the military doesn’t use staples, but the State Department apparently uses staples and the worlds worst xerox machine.

Tristan > shop-teacher 05/17/2019 at 18:38

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The military doesn't use staples... There are staplers all over the place and every single one of those MFers is empty and no one knows where to get refills... 

shop-teacher > Tristan 05/17/2019 at 19:35

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Hahaha!

Ready for an adventure! > Tristan 05/20/2019 at 08:39

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lmgtfy - https://www.wizardquest.com/